1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to bath seats which are utilized to support an individual in a bathtub and more particularly to bath seats which are designed to be compactly folded for portability and storage and which are light weight thereby facilitating handling and use.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
There are many people who because of age or physical disability require assistance when using a shower or bathtub. often, such individuals must be supported on a seating unit which is provided specifically for use with a bathtub or shower enclosure. Because of this, it often becomes necessary for an aide, nurse or family member to exert a great deal of physical effort to lift and lower an individual into a bathtub or to lift an individual onto a seating unit position within the bathtub or shower. A number of prior art seating devices have been designed to alleviate such physical effort.
Some prior art structures have been designed to be permanently installed adjacent to a bathtub or shower enclosure. Unfortunately, such permanently installed structures are often not practical especially when individuals travel, visit with friends or family or when the size of the bathroom does not permit such permanent installation. Examples of this type of seating unit or support device are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,076,808 to Arborg, U.S. Pat. No. 2,052,629 to Higgins and U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,207 to Gilbert.
Other bathtub seating units include very basic structures which are designed to include bench-like surfaces for supporting an individual within a bathtub. Unfortunately, such bench-type seats require that an individual either seat themselves on the bench within the bathtub or be lifted and placed on the bench. If an individual does not have the physical ability to seat him or herself, it is generally not practical to use a fixed bench-type seating unit for a bathtub or shower enclosure.
To facilitate the positioning of an individual on a bath chair or seat, some bench-type supports have been designed which include cantilevered portions which extend from the sidewall of the bathtub or enclosure. Such portions provide initial support for an individual being assisted. After an individual is seated on a cantilevered seat, the individual may thereafter be moved so that they are positioned between the sidewalls of the bathtub or shower enclosure. Examples of such bathing support devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,006 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,844 to Mace and U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,505 Hatala.
Some seating devices for use with bathtubs have been designed to be more portable in nature. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,791 to Thomas, a slidable seat is disclosed which is mounted on a frame having a pair of legs supported by a bathtub and a pair of legs which are engageable with a floor exteriorly of the bathtub. The overall structure, however, is not securely positioned on the bathtub and can be displaced when in use. Additional examples of bathtub seating devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,549 to Davies, U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,591 to Myers and U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,445 to Bailey.
An improvement over prior art portable bath seating units is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,728 to Weddendorf et al. The bathing unit disclosed includes a frame which is designed to be mounted to the upper walls of a bathtub or shower enclosure. A carriage is moveably mounted to the frame such that a chair carried by the carriage may be moved from a first position which allows an individual to be seated upon the chair above the outer sidewall of bathtub and, thereafter, the chair pivoted on the carriage and the carriage moved so that the seat is positioned within the bathtub or shower enclosure. The frame is stabilized by a pair of foldable legs which engage a bottom wall of the bathtub and a pair of front clamps which engage over the outer sidewall of the bathtub. Although the seating unit disclosed in this patent exhibits an improvement over prior art portable bath seating units, the use of the carriage for supporting the seat and the support structure for the main frame add both to the cost of the unit as well as the bulk and weight of the unit which in some degree, has an effect on portability and handling of the seating unit.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide lightweight, sturdy, and portable bath chairs or seats which may be easily and compactly transported and stored when not in use but which may be readily and securely mounted to a bathtub or bathtub enclosure to provide a safe support for an individual requiring the use of a seating device when bathing or showering.